"Goodmorning," someone said, messing my hair up.
"Добрый утро," I muttered.
"What?"
"Morning." I mumbled again.
"That's not what you said."
I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Weston was smiling confusedly at me from where he knelt next to the couch.
"I said goodmorning."
"In what language?"
"The most excellent language of Russian."
"How do you know Russian?"
"I don't. I think I know four-hundred and three words so far. According to Duolingo."
"Fucken homeschooler," Weston snorted.
" Well, it's time to get up brainiac."
"It's dark. Why are you even awake?" I whispered, looking around the dim living room.
" I wake up early."
"Well I don't."
" You can go back to sleep if you want, but we're all going fishing this morning so if you want to come I'd suggest you get dressed, the other guys are outside getting the boat ready."
I sat up quickly and threw off my blanket. "I'm coming, don't leave without me."
I remembered I was only in a T-shirt and underwear though and quickly yanked the covers back over my lap.
Weston smiled and handed me my shorts that I'd tossed to the ground last night.
"I'll be outside."
I met him once I had freshened up for the day outside down in driveway where the truck was running and hooked up to a modest sized fishing boat. The dodge was so jacked up I couldn't get in on the first try, and Weston ended up gripping my waist and unceremoniously tossing me into the truck, stepping in after me and shutting the door.
" Wow, and you say she's not your girlfriend Wes, that's the first time I've ever seen you sit in the backseat for anybody," scoffed the youngest.
"Shut up before I decide to take shotgun," Wes retorted, putting his arm behind me on the seat.
I knew it was nothing, but once again it felt protective, and I loved that feeling.
We drove half an hour though the hills until we reached a wide river.
Matt backed the boat in and we all boarded it while he went to park.
The river was shallow and clear, and many large fish darted under the surface.
They set up the trolling motor and we moved gently through the water as some began baiting their hooks.
"Here Avery, I baited this one for ya," Derek said, handing me a pole.
"Thanks," I smiled and took it. I was already fond of this red haired boy. Granted he couldn't have been more than a year or two younger than me, but his mischievous smile just gave an air of comeraderie.
We fished for several hours and ended up with mostly catfish and a few bass, and they were huge. I didn't catch any.
"Are we gonna keep them?" I asked.
"You like fish?"
"Yeah. "
"Well keep 'em then." Weston nodded.
I was used to boats and having to brace myself, but I wasn't paying attention when Davie started up the main motor and throttled it, causing me to lose my balance and stumble, landing halfway in Matts lap.
"Oops, sorry!" I started to stand back up but Matt put an arm around my waist to stop me.
"Its okay, you're fine. Sit."
"Ummmm..." I looked automatically at Weston, who looked away with a nonchalant expression.
The boat was really small and Matt was sitting on the only real seat, but I wouldn't have minding standing.
"Okay," I smiled awkwardly; I knew I was blushing and I couldn't stop, I wanted to get up but I didn't want to make a big deal out of it.
When we docked Matt let me go and I jumped ashore gratefully. Sweat was pouring off of me and I went to the truck for a drink, as we had finished everything on the boat cooler.
I pulled the top of my shirt down and saw the burn line forming, and was glad it wasn't a complete farmer's tan at least.
I grabbed the canteen by my feet, not sure if it was mine or not, but figured what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them, I was too thirsty to care.
Weston opened the door exactly at that moment, and smirked at me as I took a swig.
" Is this yours...?" I asked, blushing, offering it to him.
"Yeah, you can have some."
"Thanks," I said sheepishly," I don't know where mine went and I was dying of thirst."
" I don't care." He swung up next to me and shut the door, toeing off his boots and stretching his legs out as far as they would go in the truck. My gaze got stuck on his biceps, the way the stretched his t shirt sleeves tightly, and the smooth brown skin that had a sheen of sweat over it. I immediately had a mental image of me running the flat of my tongue up it and tasting that sweat, pulling up the hem of his shirt and licking it off his abdomen too- and just as quickly my eyes widened in surprise and I had to physically look away and blink my eyes repeatedly to clear that enticing image from my brain.
"So you used to like Matt, huh?"
I turned and stared at him.
"Yeah I guess...a harmless crush...that I no longer retain," I chuckled.
"Well he seems to like you."
I rolled my eyes. " He was just being nice."
"Yeah right. He wasn't going to pass up the chance to have your ass in his lap. Don't look at him or talk to him, he's way too old for you so it's best if we don't encourage it. I told him to lay off of you or I'd drive his stupid stuck into the lake."
"You're being so dramatic. I didn't sit there on purpose, and he didn't mean anything by it." I glared at him.
Wes shrugged, looking out the window.
"Wow, unbelievable." I snorted. "You are basically falsely accusing me."
"I ain't accusing you of nothin' sweetheart. I'm just...." He tugged his hat over his eyes and crossed his arms, not finishing his sentence.
I lunged at him and grabbed for his sides, tickling him like mad, and he jumped and yelled, grabbing for my hands and laughing, shoving them away, but I was relentless, and deep laughter rolled uncontrollably from him until he managed to grab both of my wrists firmly in his grasp.
"You better stop that right now," he panted.
"No I will not, until you stop accusing me of being a whore."
"Now who's being dramatic? Those words never left my mouth."
"You were thinking it."
"I was not, I was just giving you a hard time, now cut that out," he ordered, as I tried to struggle out of his grasp.
"Well, fine, but it's actually really funny how ticklish you are, so I don't think I'll stop," I laughed, and yanked one wrist free.
"You're such a child," he growled, and grabbed both my wrists again, lifting them above my head and pressing them to the back window.
He glared at me and I grinned at him, and all three of the brothers opened their doors at about that moment.
Abruptly Weston dropped my wrists and slouched back into his seat. I smiled at him angelically and crossed my legs, pulling out my phone.
"What-exactly-did we interrupt?" Davie asked, looking between us.
"Avery being a brat." Weston growled.
"Uh huh...." Derek said dramatically.
"If he's bothering you you can sit up here with me." Matt said.
"Yeah he's kindof annoying but I'm fine," I smiled.
They all laughed and I saw Matt and Davie exchanging smirks.
The entire ride back to the house Weston ignored me, while the other three told stories about past fishing trips.
"Hey, why didn't Amanda come?" I asked.
"Ah she's not into fishing...or anything outside," Derek answered.
"Pretty much, she makes some damn good food though," Matt said, turning the truck onto their dirt road.
"Yeah...I wish I could cook like that. I wish I could cook at all," I laughed at myself.
"Why can't you?" Derek asked.
" Well my mom tried to teach me when I was younger but I wouldn't cooperate, I'd always sneak back outside to play with my brothers. "
"Well you could learn nowwww," he said.
"Maybe... Not from my mom though," I said, sounding more sad than I'd intended too.
"Wait, what happened to your mom?"
"She...she died when I was 10," I said, reluctantly. I didn't like talking about it, because people always became awkward and didn't know what to say.
Weston turned to look at me. He already knew, and he didn't say anything, but I saw it in his eyes that he cared.
"Oh." Derek said. "That's sad."
"Sorry to hear that," Matt said.
Davie saved the moment from awkwardness when he asked,"So do you have a wicked step Mother now?"
"Yes, and she's worse than the fairytales," I said.
They laughed, thinking I was joking.